Wind and Solar Produced More Energy Than Coal in the U.S. From January Through July This Year, a First.

[Think. Again.]

By Paige Bennett, August 16, 2024
Original Article; https://www.ecowatch.com/wind-solar-energy-production-coal-us-2024.html

From January through July of this year, wind and solar in the U.S. generated more net electricity than power from coal, according to recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

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In 2023, renewables outpaced coal energy generation for the first five months of the year. But by summer, energy demand increased, especially considering last summer was the Northern Hemisphere’s hottest summer in 2,000 years.

-snip-

“I think it is an important milestone,” said Ric O’Connell, executive director of GridLab, as reported by Scientific American. “I think you’re seeing a solar surge and a coal decline and hence the lines are crossing.”

Renewable energy, particularly from wind and solar sources, has been rapidly increasing. For 2024, the U.S. is slated to add a total of 36.4 gigawatts of solar utility-scale electric generating capacity, up from the 18.4 gigawatts added the previous year.

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[NNadir]

1. It's neither interesting nor surprising to see the use of dangerous...

...natural gas being represented as a "victory" for the useless solar and wind scam. Solar and wind, dependent as they are on access to dangerous fossil fuels, are nothing more than lipstick on the fossil fuel pig. The decay of the planetary atmosphere has not been slowed - it is, in fact accelerating at an unprecedented pace - by all of these slick "bait and switch" abuses of numbers.

[Think. Again.]

2. as you should know...

...the acceleration of CO2 emissions is due to the acceleration of power consumption on a global scale, and not to the acceleration of non-CO2 emitting power generation in the U.S.

[progree]

3. And yet, in the U.S., solar and wind combined were only about 2.5% of total energy (One 40th) in 2023

Where things stand in the U.S. in 2023 - Energy production and energy consumption by fuel or other energy source. Solar and wind combined are only 2.3% of production and 2.6% of consumption.

From us-energy-facts. The bottom 4 bands are all fossil fuels. So, to see the combined total of fossil fuels, look at the top of the light pink band:.



It is interesting that the total fossil fuel production in BTUs (top of the light pink band) was essentially flat from 1970 to 2007, and then very sad that it went sharply up from there.

Wind and solar combined are 2.3% (less than half the size of the renewables green band).

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The above is U.S. production. This one below is U.S. consumption.

As far as I know, the difference (quite a difference in trend!) is exports



At least on the consumption side, fossil fuel consumption in BTUs (top of the reddish band) has marginally declined from a 2007 peak. Though fossil fuels are still a huge 83% of all consumed energy.

The wind and solar total is just 2.6% (it's less than half of the renewables green band).

[Think. Again.]

4. Great points!

We still have a very long way to go!

But it is good to see our own U.S. overall consumption going down, and very bad to see how our contribution to global consumption through export is rising so drastically.

It reminds me of Norway (I believe) who consumes mostly clean energy in their own country yet the export of fossil fuels is a major financial staple of theirs.

[progree]

5. Thanks :). On Norway - they are also the world leader in EV purchases, percentage-wise

AFAIK. I read that some time ago.

I did a quick search just to make sure something hadn't changed, apparently not:

https://thedriven.io/2024/08/15/just-45-petrol-cars-sold-in-norway-in-july-as-evs-hit-92-per-cent-of-sales/

Just 45 petrol cars sold in Norway in July as EVs hit 92 per cent of sales, The Driven, 8/15/24

This July, full battery electric vehicles (BEVs) made up 91.9% of all newly registered vehicles, up from 81.7% in July 2023.

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It reminds me of Norway (I believe) who consumes mostly clean energy in their own country yet the export of fossil fuels is a major financial staple of theirs.

Yup, that sounds like Norway.

[Finishline42]

6. Intesting stat...

Had a rider (I'm a Uber/Lyft driver) that had the background on that stat. Seems his wife was from Norway. They have a significant excise tax on ICE vehicles which I find interesting. As you pointed out, they have one of the largest sovereign wealth funds which of course has been largely funded by selling oil and gas...